|
|
Post by Wayne Copeland on Jul 5, 2005 20:03:15 GMT -5
For the boys cooking in the IBCA, you dont have to worry about garnishment...it just ain't allowed. But for those of us cooking in the KCBS, the new rule says its now optional. Do we garnish or not? I proposed that very question to a KCBS rep at a contest a few weeks ago and this was his response: "When the judges open the tray and dont see anything but a bunch of meat, they tell me that it's like looking at a beautiful painting without a frame...so if you want to score points, you better garnish!" I guess that answers the question.....
|
|
|
|
Post by Wayne Copeland on Jan 1, 2006 16:24:45 GMT -5
If you garnish your trays early in the morning, I would recommend that you either buy your lettuce/parsley the night before turn in or very early in the morning. After it is purchased, immerse the root end in COLD water and let them sit in it until you are ready to cut them. I like a Playmate cooler with about 2 inches of water and some ice in it to refresh my garnish materials before I wash and cut it. This is especially helpful if you are going to a cook-off when the ambient temps will be above 75 degrees at turn in. I also like to keep the parsley and cilantro in the plastic bag and spoon in some water into the bag before immersing it in the Playmate.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wayne Copeland on Feb 19, 2006 21:35:54 GMT -5
If you decide to garnish your entry tray at a contest, remember that lettuce will usually start to turn slightly brown/red on the ends on hot days. If the lettuce was cut to form the tray more than an hour or so before turn in, simply use a pair of scissors to trim off the brownish/red ends so the judges dont confuse it with red tipped lettuce. Most experienced Judges know the difference between red tipped and lettuce that is turning color on the ends due to high temperatures, but it is to your advantage to keep it green so they will focus on your meat instead of the garnishment.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wayne Copeland on Mar 3, 2007 2:41:17 GMT -5
One last thing about garnishing is to check with your cook off contact person or sanctioning organization before the contest to find out what is legal and what is not...KCBS rules regarding garnishment have changed and some organizations (several in Texas) do not allow any type of garnishment at all. If you are going to garnish, make sure that your garnishment does not completely engulf your entry...it is suppose to accentuate your presentation, not be the focal point of it.
Lettuce should be placed EVENLY around the turn in tray and not bunched up or sticking out of the closed box. If you are also using parsley/cilantro, use it sparingly around the edges and between your meat pieces...not thrown on top of the meat with several inches of uncut stems showing...Remember, you will be judged on appearance and you can lose points (or get DQ'd) if you dont adhere to the rules.
If you about to enter your first contest or you have not seen anyone else's presentation, I would strongly recommend that you go to a contest and observe the judging of the entries, or elicit some help from other contestants...they will be more than happy to give you some pointers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Wayne Copeland on May 8, 2011 17:46:31 GMT -5
When garnishing, remember to take your time and place the garnishment within the tray, but not let a bunch of parsley/lettuce hang over the sides when the lid is closed! Garnishment is suppose to accentuate your product (like a frame for a picture), not completly over-power it. When garnishing, my wife always tells me "A little bit is better than alot." This is sound advise. Wayne
|
|
|
|
Post by Wayne Copeland on Oct 10, 2011 21:22:41 GMT -5
One more tip for the KCBS contests where we have to garnish...make sure you take your garnishment materials out of the ice cooler at least 30 minutes prior to decorating your turn-in tray and let some of the less than desireable leafs heat up to the ambient temp...and make DAMN sure that you put one-two layers of that lettuce on the bottom of the tray before putting your product into it. The warmed up lettuce will help keep your meat warm and the tray bottom will look great when the judges remove their sample piece.
|
|
